IronMan Barcelona 2015

13 months training just for one race just to demonstrate what you did during all the hard training sessions. Just to claim a result that makes us satisfied with the all year.

No one knows what we did………was hard, was tough with just one race in mind…. IronMan Barcelona 2015.

I can tell you some of the stories but as you can imagine, Cincinnati is not known for the good weather and the mild temperatures during winter! Hahaha

Matt and I trained 13 months under the instructions of Jaime Martinez program. He plans for us a very hard year. In his mind on his own words “You have to reach the Endurance from the Intensity”, that means that we always be in quality training with no trash or useless miles in our legs.

It was being a wile since I train focusing on the intensity all the time and gaining distance and endurance and more volume from the intensity on each session. These trainings kill the mind and also your body because always you are working in your limit. Thanks Jaime for your plan, thanks Jaime to be always with me in the good, the bad and the ugly.

I am gonna give you some of the numbers at the end of the year:

 

With these numbers and the good feelings in our legs, after the super compensation, after a long year, we initiate the race week. We flew to Barcelona and put our base in Cabrils, a small town in between Barcelona and Calella where the race starts.

I am at home and nothing else makes me happier, family and friends but more especially with all the Tri-friends and Tri-family “Triatlo Jovent 79” nothing make sense without them. I can’t imagine doing an IronMan without them. I started doing triathlon as an amateur and I love to compete with friends because for me triathlon and sport is part of my social life and social activities. My pass as a rower is gone and I want to enjoy sport as a primary nature and only I can do it with friends.

David, Ruben, Matt and I (all 4 from Triatlo Jovent 79) went the day before to check in our bikes and to set up all our stuff in boxes. We talk, chat and laugh, making easy the nervous before the race.

On October 4^th at 7 am in the morning we met in Calella, before we had breakfast, we will need it later! Was dark but the bike park was full of people working on their bikes, checking everything prior the closing time of the bike park. We check our bikes always keeping an eye on the others because in between 2600 participants it’s easy to get lost. We went to the tent and put the wetsuit on us, vaseline and we went to test how cold was the water and to warm-up. The sea was a bit moved because the previous days the bad weather and storms were present. When I see the waves I realize that the swim will not be as fast as I expect.

We hug and took picture with other tri-friend that came to see us, Mamen, Lara, Toni and   Ariadna, thanks to support us at the very beginning.

This year, as other IronMan races they have different starting lines depending your time in the swim part. They call the rolling start. This avoids stress in the water and accidents. Also some people say that improves the bike section for drafting.

Matt stopped in 1:15 step and David and I moved bit more to the front to the 1:05 starting group. We are ready; we are in position to start our IronMan. More than a year waiting for this moment.  We jump into the water and the first wave hits in our faces, David was pulled back few meters and came out with the goggles completely out of his eyes. Oh man! This is not gonna be easy!.
For me was the first swim in open water with the swimsuit. I know that I was playing with fire but nothing that I can do now. The first part was easier because the current push us, but when we turn then I start fighting with the sea, was not that bad but without training in the open water I did what I have in my hands. I know that I was in a slow pace and my arms were at low frequency. Touch the sand at 1h 08’ and cross the pad at 1h 09’.  I am around 10’ slower than I have in mind and at that point I should do a good bike.

Transition with normality, not getting nervous and do all my stuff, around 5 minutes to be out with the bike. At that point I see Mar taking picture and yelling me! Wow she is there as always! But I didn’t expect her that early! I am surprise and also I didn’t understand how and why she is always supporting me on these things. Without her support and Marina’s support nothing is possible. Both of them encourage me and help me during the all year. I always really appreciate what they do for me and help me to make this thing real.

Ruben and David were in front of me and I will try to catch them on the bike or during the run.

Ready on the bike, 3 km transition 2 big laps from Calella to Masnou and 1 short loop from Calella to Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, in total 180km but my GPS gave me 179km. I plan to ride at 35km/h in average and if we loose some speed in the turns and during the 6km transition then I should ride around 36-38 km/h. That’s my plan and I followed like a robot, my feeling on the bike was very good, eating every 20km aprox plus some extras on the AIDs stations. The last small loop the wind starts blowing but no to hard, just to kill the average a bit. At the end of my ride 5h 10’ on an average bit less than 35km/h but still a good time for me.

I passed David on the bike but Ruben was doing and amazing bike riding it in less than 5h!!!

Was really nice to see Mar’s family with all the kids on the road supporting me every loop, every time that I passed them on Vilassar de Mar. Miquel, Magda, Miquel, Maria, Miqui, Bernat, Queralt and Maria thanks for your support, not only during the race, also during my stay in Barcelona and during the years. After the bike they came to Calella to see me running with my daughter that always ran with me to the finish line but with the new rules, she can’t do it! Really sad for the young ones, because in my opinion this kind of things give the feeling and the idea of what sport means in a good way. Hard work and perseverance always pays off.

Finishing the bike like never I did, with the legs ready to run, recovering during the last 3 km and focusing my mind on the marathon.

I did a really fast transition in less than 2 minutes and I was running the fist km at 4:35 pace but after 2 km something was wrong. My stomach was ok, I can drink and I can eat gels but my belly was cramped. Very weird feeling because was the muscles that didn’t allow me to run normal. After few kms (3-5) start having pain in my lumbar as a reflex. My pace starts being 5:30 and lower after 10-12 km till 6:10. Terrible pace for my plans. knowing that if I continue running at that pace I could not be bellow 10 hours.

I got pass by David and we shared few km together, he is always there and supporting me also when he is running the same competition! He makes me easier the first lap.

After that I decided not to stop a single time, not stop in any of the AID stations. I decided to grab the drinks but never stop or walk on it because if I do that my time will be really bad.

Eating and drinking as always, the kms fall into my feet. Around the 23-25 km Toni came to me running and offer me an Enantyum (painkiller and anti-inflammatory). My first thought was NO but what else can happen? Can be worsen than has being going? I take one, and I promise you that have an horrible taste! This made me throw up few km later but gave me relaxation on my belly muscles. Then I start running a bit faster but like one can run after 32 km in your legs! Hahaha

5 km before the finish line I passed again David, he was having bad time after some stomach issues as well. I passed him like a zombie and we didn’t talk too much! I feel bad because I could stay more time with him but my brain didn’t respond in a good way, only a sentence appears on it all the time “don’t stop, don’t walk” repetitively.

My close relatives were there, all the run, was amazing and very helpful to see them, they gave energy and push me to continue and not gave up when the things doesn’t run as I plan and I want to. It was their first Ironman and I know that is not easy to see me in that conditions. I know that they suffer every single race but also they are the most supportive family.

Last 2 km and boom!!!! The Cuaresma family giving me the last push to the finish line! I would love to stop and hug them! They are amazing!

I crossed the finish line in 10h 22 minutes, far from my idea to be bellow 10 hours but with the satisfaction to be at the finish line with my family and friends. Ruben crossed 10 minutes before me, David 3 minutes after and Matt 50 minutes later but doing a great time in his first Long Distance Triathlon.

Rank Bib    Name                Country   Swim           T1      Bike            T2         Run                    Total

92    1786   Ruben Serna         ESP       1:02:27    04:39   4:59:42   01:19      4:03:54               10:11:59

125  1305   Marc Oria             ESP       1:09:01   05:28    5:10:35   01:44      3:55:31               10:22:16

123 1629    David Jimenez      ESP       1:03:03   04:37   5:19:00   01:09      3:57:33                10:25:22

145  990     Mathieu Sertorio  FRA      1:23:10    06:51   5:20:49    01:57     4:19:29               11:12:14

We all 4 met inside the tent with our finisher medals and t-shirts. As always David drink 4 beers! Amazing! Haha he is a beast! We took pictures and laugh about what we just did. We are getting use and we think that this is normal but if you stop and think about what this entire IronMan means....... it’s crazy. Hours and hours of training to put our body in limits. And the terrible thing is that we are happy and we will repeat next year. I am sure that will be with them!!

The Jovent family were there all the time, not only the race: Moyano, Oscar, Pere, Pili, Pilar, Carri, Rafa, Nuria, Palo’s, Carlos, Josean, Marin’s, Maria, Paulo, Pere, Toni, Lara, Ariadna, Mamen, Cuaresma, Yolanda, Alexandra, Inigo, Chrsitian, Damaris, Miri.

And I want to give a special thanks to Joan Benach who is responsible of our success as a team and also my personal. He is always there for everything you need no matter what. This is really difficult to find in our real world!

Thanks to all of you that came to see, support, run, trust, yell and help during the race and always! Sorry if I miss someone, it is not my idea and is not personal.

I want to finish this long race report with one sentence that Matt said to me the day after the Ironman. “I really like your team in Barcelona, looks different, they support me and they not even know me” I told him that Triatlo Jovent 79 is always different and it's like a family! They never fail! They are always there to help and support you! This is what I want to build here in US..... Triatlo Jovent 79 spirit.

After 10 days of the race I can’t say that I am happy, I am a bit disappointed with myself because I didn’t make it as I want and as I have in mind. Was a very taught year and I want my own recognition for all the work I did. All of us know that in sport you cannot always get what you want, sometimes hits you and sometimes, very hard. Now depends on yourself if this hit bends your forever or makes you stronger.

My decision…………………….Altriman 2016 is on my way!!!!!!!!!